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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

J. Crew Sued For Leopard Print

Who would have thought that you can now be sued for utilizing Mother Nature’s creations? Tony Duquette, an interior designer in the 1950’s of Tony Duquette Inc. is suing J. Crew over the “Duquette Leopard Print Sweater” because it “infringes on the company’s trademarks and patterns”. The design firm is alleging that the print is connected with J. Crew, its advertisements, and J. Crew’s sweaters and filed a claim on April 19, 2011. Hutton Wilkinson, President and Creative Director of Tony Duquette, Inc. stated, “We filed this claim to ensure our trademarks are used appropriately and only with permission… J. Crew knowingly and willfully used the Duquette trademark without permission or license in connection with leopard print”, according to WWD. This leaves me thinking, perhaps J. Crew could’ve chosen a better name for the sweater but as far as serving justice goes, it seems that Tony Duquette Inc. was making an homage to Duquette than trying to make money on his name. We’ll just have to wait and see what the judge and jury say when this case goes to court.